


The Meat and Sarcasm Guy

by DullSunrise



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hes the real best boy, Sokka needs more love man, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, can also just be seen as platonic, well if you squint, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26058448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DullSunrise/pseuds/DullSunrise
Summary: “‘Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy’ is all I’m going to be! Nothing else!“——————————In which Sokka ends up venting to Zuko, even though Zuko is trying not to get too involved.(Takes place before The Ember Island Players, can be either seen as romantic or platonic)
Kudos: 35





	The Meat and Sarcasm Guy

**Author's Note:**

> Oh heck my first ever Avatar fic-
> 
> Might not be completely accurate but whatever. I’ve always loved Avatar, but never really thought about writing a fic before until I just made up some dialogue and was like mmkay there.
> 
> I decided it would be a good idea to do this all on mobile so I might make minor tweaks.
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy~

“Is it just me or has Sokka been acting differently?”

Zuko didn’t want to eavesdrop, given how not everyone trusted him yet, so doing so would probably make him seem even more suspicious. Sure, he was beginning to win said trust and wasn’t going to purposefully abuse that trust, yet it was going to take some time to repair all the damage he’d done, and he couldn’t help but give into curiosity. Toph looked a bit worried (it was a bit difficult to tell), and while Katara seemed to be passing off the other bender’s concern as nothing, she ended up briefly looking across the field at Sokka. He’d been training more and more lately (and that day wasn’t any different), which wasn’t inherently wrong. Admittedly, the prince didn’t think much of it at first either. During the good ol’ days hunting the Avatar and up until their trip to the Boiling Rock, Sokka seemed to just fill the role as the typical comical sidekick. Nothing special, not a threat, and not even that stand out on the surface. He was just... there.

He was just the meat and sarcasm guy.

However, being just there did make him rather interested, and he thought their life changing trip to one of the most heavily guarded prisons ever would be the most he’d get out of him. The most interesting thing that came up was the whole ‘girlfriend turning into the moon’ thing, but as depressing as that was, he didn’t want to pressure him into spilling the beans. He never brought it up again, which was all fine with him. Life would just happen as it happened. Everything that need to be said was said, and they were buddy-chum-pals, so that just had to be it. That was how it went for the other life changing journeys, and the guy seemed happy. At least he had a father that loves him.

So when he began rigorously training, even asking if he could fight Aang during his own separate training, Zuko thought nothing of it. From what he could gather, though, Sokka hadn’t pushed himself that hard before. Rarely taking breaks and routinely building and decimating decoys sometimes with Suki’s help until midnight didn’t seem like the Sokka everyone else knew. He didn’t know that version of him all that well, though the growing concern began getting to him as well. From what he could gather, he wasn’t like this prior to entering the Fire Nation, and after their return from the Boiling Rock, this behavior was more frequent. At least he seemed to be in good spirits.

When he wasn’t teaching fire bending, he found himself hanging out with others, but more often than not, he was watching the brunette. The prince couldn’t put his finger on why he was suddenly so interested outside of what he heard, yet he felt as if it was at least somewhat worth watching. Swords weren’t often used in the Fire Nation’s military, and while he was rather skilled himself, he felt as if he could pick up a few things about the art... and maybe a bit about his new friend. Sokka wasn’t particularly skilled, but he was at least trying and he could tell he was improving. During these times, though, he would rarely acknowledge another person’s presence (minus Suki since they were a couple and all). It disappointed Zuko a bit- he wasn’t exactly sure why but it did- yet that was the least of his worries. After all, Sozin’s Comet was only a couple weeks away, and he didn’t feel the least bit prepared. Nobody would directly admit it, but there was a tense aura that lingered wherever they were, and even indirectly bringing it up seemed to remind everyone why they were there and what was to come. He should be preparing more as well, though he felt as if that wouldn’t change anything in his case.

That was most likely the reason- no, that had to be the reason why he was so focused on pushing himself. If he wasn’t training, he was planning. That still wasn’t a bad thing, but he wasn’t even taking all that much time off. What didn’t help was his tendency to insult himself whenever he felt like he did something wrong. He couldn’t pick up what he said most of the time, but he knew he was doing it, and he knew he should say something to him... if only he knew what to say.

He tried to bring it up once, despite not knowing how to even begin.

If there was one thing that could tear Sokka away from his work long enough, it was his love of food. All it took was smell of something cooking and the growling of his stomach. That was the first time he brought up the black-haired teen’s sudden interest in him.

“You don’t need to say anything,” was the first thing he said, catching him off-guard. “I know I suck. It’s obvious.”

That... wasn’t a very Sokka-like thing to say. “I, uh, wasn’t going to say that. What makes you think that?”

The look on his face made it clear to him that he was choosing his words carefully. “Dunno.”

“I think it’s more then that. I know I’m not the most trustworthy guy in the world, but...”

Sokka let out a loud sigh, muttering, “Not you, too...” He already looked like he definitely didn’t want to talk about it as if he knew what was coming. Initially, he had no idea what he was talking about until they joined up with the rest of the group. Zuko was a bit upset with himself for not catching on sooner as to why it bothered the other teen. Not like it mattered or anything, since either way, he’d figure it out.

The moment the Gaang all got together, things felt much more tense (if that was the right word) than usual. It all started with Katara pulling him aside, asking if he was okay. It was just a simple question, yet a frustrated groan made it obvious that this really wasn’t the first time.

“Look, Sokka-“

“I don’t get what the big deal is. You’re all acting as if me making myself useful is some sin or whatever.”

Katara frowned. “You’re pushing yourself too far, though.”

“So?”

“All I’m asking is that you take a break.”

While reluctant, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere if he refused. And that was just about it. Not the most interesting conversation in the world, not even secret, yet Zuko could understand her concern. Everyone else seemed to be on the same page as well, but there wasn’t any use of making things all the more stressful for each other. However, while it appeared as if all was right in the world, it all felt artificial. Fake smiles tried to push aside any more concern. The most they could be was optimistic, especially Sokka.

At least he was trying to. While it wasn’t all that long of a break, he did attempt to cut down on time spent training, and he probably did get sleep- not that much, but at least enough that he wasn’t passing out- and he got a bit more social than he previously was. It was a step in the right direction, even if it was forced to an extent.

That seemed to be it, at least for a couple days. It shouldn’t have been bothering Zuko in the first place. He still found himself watching Sokka since it was pretty much a routine. Not like he had much to do whenever he wasn’t training with Aang to begin with. Despite the fact that he appeared to be taking steps towards going easier on himself, he was oddly exhausted both physically and emotionally. The emotional part wasn’t all that apparent until nearly a week passed. Sure, he would still occasionally insult himself, yet that seemed to be the extent of it. He wasn’t all that familiar with his problems or how he would deal with them, so that was probably just how he coped.

A muffled thump caught his attention, with almost no time to take in what happened before Sokka sat down next to him.

“Why won’t you tell me that I suck?”

Where did that come from? Yeah, Zuko was there, but despite the occasional attempt, he wouldn’t really say much of anything, let alone comments on his swordsmanship.

“...Why would I think that?”

“‘Cause you’ve watched me before. You can be honest with me.”

He didn’t quite know how to respond, and for a couple of moments, there was just awkward silence. It was already a bit quiet to begin with, given how peaceful the small clearing they sat in was, so it shouldn’t have felt all that abnormal to him. The brunette pulled his knees closer to his chest.

“I mean,” he began, “you know that girl I mentioned? The one that turned into the moon? Her father told me to protect her... and I couldn’t. I wasn’t able to even fight you, and if it weren’t for Aang...”

“I-I’m sorry about that... I...” What the hell was he thinking? Who responds like that? Apologizing wouldn’t do shit, yet he did it. “Honestly, I don’t think you suck or anything-“

He couldn’t get anything more out before being cut off.

“‘Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy’ is all I’m going to be! Nothing else! You can bend, almost everyone else can bend, Suki is just badass in general... All I got is this stupid sword! I’m not even good at using it!” he asserted, raising his voice. A hot tear rolled down his cheek, a bit easy to miss, but Zuko managed to notice it. If his words weren’t already enough proof that something was seriously wrong, his increasingly shaky voice as he continued did. “I have nothing, dammit! Nothing about me is actually useful or cool... o-or anything! What am I supposed to do when we fight the Fire Lord?! I can’t do shit! I’m just going to be captured or killed-“ his voice began to crack then- “and nobody would fucking care! A-all I can do is make the same shitty jokes... and j-j-just continue bring the same dumbass everyone knows and tolerates...!”

Zuko tried to find the right words, wanting to say something to possibly begin calming the other boy down before he continued to vent after taking a moment to breathe. “I-I couldn’t e-even protect her... How... am I supposed to Katara or Aang o-or Suki... or... a-a-anyone... even you...”

Hesitating for a moment, not knowing exactly what he was trying to do, he attempted to put an arm around him before Sokka ended up leaning against his shoulder instead. He was oddly flattered yet a bit embarrassed. Last thing he wanted now was to fuck up by making things worse. Zuko let him have some time to cry, giving himself at least a moment to gather his thoughts. He tried thinking back to his uncle, hoping that maybe his words could inspire him enough to say the right things. Not like he was going to find anything for this specific situation.

“...My father gave me this scar,” he said, finding it oddly difficult to speak. “For the longest time, I thought of it as a burden, and I thought I had to please him. That’s why I was after the Avatar in the first place... But looking back, I think that I was trying to please the wrong person. There are some people you can’t ever please, but I don’t think you need to try and please them.”

Sokka looked up for a moment, giving him an odd look.

“Whatever you do, I think you’ll please them. At least, you don’t have to worry about it... W-with me, I mean...” Fuck. He knew he shouldn’t have tried being the new Iroh or whatever. To his surprise, though, Sokka smiled a little bit. It made his heart skip a beat a couple times.

“...Thanks, man. Really.”

And suddenly, he was pulled into a pleasant, warm embrace. A part of him felt like he didn’t deserve it, yet... he was fine with it. He actually liked it.

So maybe he was the meat and sarcasm guy. Zuko liked him for it.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m actually getting back into a writing mood as of late so maybe I’ll post more even though school is almost back in session
> 
> Please remember to stay safe, wash your hands, wear a mask, social distance, and try to stay home as often as you can! Just a little message since some people need reminders :)


End file.
